Joel Embiid admits LeBron James concerns heading into Olympics amid fear that USA teammate is ‘not the same’ player at 39

The United States men’s basketball team heads to the Olympic Games in Paris as heavy favorites to win their fifth consecutive gold medal.

The globalization of the game, however, has made that throne more susceptible to new kings than the previous four Summer Olympiads. Newly minted American star Joel Embiid knows that perhaps better than anyone.

Embiid committed to play for the United States at the Olympics last year, where he would have to beat France and Cameroon. But he knows that his first big podium for the national team doesn’t guarantee him a gold medal. He points to LeBron James’ age as an example of why America won’t finish first.

The average age of Team USA is just under 31, with half of the roster 30 or older. James is the oldest member of the team, turning 40 in December.

There was no better sign of the turbulence Team USA could face in Paris than Sunday’s 101-100 victory over South Sudan, when the Americans needed a layup from James with less than 10 seconds left to win the game.

The Americans trailed South Sudan by double digits for long periods of the match.

“You look at the talent that the U.S. has, but there is just as much talent on other teams,” Embiid told the The New York Times. ‘And the talents in the American team, you also have to take that into account, are usually older.’

“The LeBron of today is not the LeBron of a few years ago,” Embiid said. “So it’s a big difference. Anyone would tell you, and you can see it for yourself, that the athletic LeBron, the dominant LeBron he was a few years ago, is not the same LeBron he is today.”

“I think people are fooled by the names on paper. But those names are built up over the course of their careers, and now they’re older. They’re not what they used to be,” Embiid concluded.

The United States will play South Sudan again in Paris, along with Puerto Rico and Serbia in Group C.